Brawn Over Brains? The Ridiculous Pogačar Attack That Shocked The World's | GCN Racing News Show

[@gcnracing]

What was your reaction to Pogačar's attack and win?! 🤯 Let us know in the comments below! 👇

[@Alex-gl2dw]

D o p e. When even other top pros are saying he's not normal you know somebody's cooking.

[@nktimelapse]

Next year he is going to try to win from kom 0

[@FiniteResources7734]

Not shocked. He’s producing so called “clean” numbers higher than all of cycling’s greats, many of whom have admitted or been caught doping. We may never know the truth.

[@monsiogabar525]

As a Pogačar fan, I was really shocked to see him attack from so far out (like everyone else, I guess) but props to him for taking advantage of Remco and MVDP being out of position. During the final lap, I watched nervously as I saw the gap tumbling down but when he reached the final descent, I knew he more or less had the rainbow jersey in the bag. Glad to see him win in the fashion that he did and also making history with that Triple Crown. Probably the best cycling season by an individual and it's not over yet. He's probably the favorite for Emilia, Tre Valli, and Lombardia with the form he's in.

[@GaiusPrimusMatius]

😂😂😂😂​@@nktimelapse

[@secretagent86]

Thank you for the respectful treatment of this tragedy. Definitely rider safety needs to be seriously improved. I am very sad for her family.

[@ChrisSpriggs-rj2ys]

I find it unforgivable that Muriel lay injured and undiscovered until after the race 😢 Even an iPhone has crash detection and a warning alert

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Not to mention about every modern bike computer.

[@Wiz3721]

Motorcycles have crash detection and GPS tracking. A down rider will even get a call over the motorcycle speakers. If there is no response, then help is dispatched immediately. Catch up UCI.

[@mettacitta2000]

Jesus, that's terrible 😢

[@secretagent86]

Omg i had NO IDEA 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@hellaslundblad]

And as she had a head injury the time factor is very important..an unforgeable mistake from the organisers.

[@stephencurry8552]

I grew up watching Eddie. This is the first time I have someone I admire as much as Eddie. Pogacar always makes me smile. Hearing this now, about his wins is really something special.

[@GregBecker]

A most amazing ride! It reminded me of Froome's raid to win the Giro. The strategy pits steady power vs erratic surges and relies on the chasers getting nervous, and not having a long term strategy/view leaving many of them in the wind chasing each other rather than a coordinated effort. If the chasers had ridden a more measured race, Pogacar may have had an extra minute lead with 2 laps to go, but none of the contenders would have been in the wind yet and Pogacar may have been chased down by a group of much fresher riders. Hats off to Pogacar!

[@kuffinauhead6790]

Pogi, it wasn't a stupid move... YOUR LEGS told you to attack. Even if MVDP or Remco had been in the right position Pogi was unbeatable today. NO-ONE could match his power on the climbs and he would have attacked those guys and ridden away from them. He basically rode a 100km time trail in the middle of the most prestigious 1-day race in the world. Only 1 beast can do that. Pogi had a date with destiny - and no-one was going to deny him. Chapeau - you are 'il nuovo cannibale'.

[@benedictearlson9044]

Lovely tribute to Muriel Furrer from you Dan, thoughts to her friends and her family.

[@canaldoprotoplasma-pabaj.5384]

Dan, your abilities commanding the show are better every day!! is a pleasure listening to your reports, even without any video supporting. Thanx!

[@doctorscoot]

The absolute incompetence and failure of the UCI towards Muriel Furrier should be mentioned. An _hour_ she was crashed off the road lying there before they went looking! An _hour_ !!! Someone should be criminally charged for such a scandal, and the people at the top resigning in disgrace.

[@rlm4471]

A similar incident happened in Crossfit this year. An athlete drowned on a swim course, and nobody was aware of it until after the event. It would be so easy to find a sponsor who would supply a GPS tracker for each athlete, which would prevent incidents like this.

[@harrismazari5484]

Its costly to cover every inch of junior races. I can understand why this happened. no need to ger your knickers in atwist over it

[@discbrakefan]

@@rlm4471Difference is the death happened near the finish line of the CrossFit swim (which they stupidly put after the ride & run) and in sight of plenty of people including the “lifeguards” (untrained volunteers)

[@rlm4471]

@harrismazari5484 With current technology, this is easy and cheap to prevent. GPS tracker tiles are the size of a coin and cost $20. Clip one to each rider and then you'll know right away if an athlete has stopped on the course.

[@rlm4471]

@discbrakefan Not sure that the difference is relevant. In both cases, it took too long for people to notice, and in both cases it would have been cheap and easy to prevent this with a little GPS tracker.

[@Allonmor]

RIP MURIEL FURRER. SHAME ON YOU UCI

[@Pomi3001]

As a big Pogacar fan I had to go through three nerve-racking hours as he held on to a relatively thin margin. A bit like watching the The Fugitive movie. 😂

[@tonyg3091]

@@Pomi3001 About 20 km to go when the gap dropped from 1:05 to less than 40 seconds I thought it was over and his gamble will fail. 16km to go Remco got in the front of the chasing group and it started looking real bad. But this was also the moment Pog went absolutely nuts, if you rewatch it you will see he was absolutely maniacal at 12 km mark, dude dug DEEEEEEP, cant imagine what went through his head at that moment but this was riding on adrenaline only, on totally empty gas tank, sheer willpower, it was AMAZING to watch.

[@evoathlete]

Riding on adrenaline? Riding on something that’s for sure….

[@tonyg3091]

@@evoathlete Meh…

[@jacquesleriche_]

Incredible show as always. Thanks!

[@davehause8571]

I haven't seen anyone ride 100 km solo from a stacked peloton since the 2006 Tour de France. Both were unbelievable!

[@out_spocken]

Hardly a peloton. A chase group. And one that got blown apart as soon as he attacked. It's not like there was an organized peleton chasing on a flat. Till there's any proof, it's just people with little information. Not to mention Pog took time off as opposed to many that did the Vuelta. So many factors. To simply boil it down to oh he is cheating is a bit stupid IMHO. Yes there's history. Sports is also littered with incredible unique clean moments too. I may be proven wrong. But till there's proof I'm not going to waste time on it or I may as well not watch the sport at all

[@tonyg3091]

How about riding solo for 80 km as in...Strade Bianche this year?

[@justridingalongthewatchtower]

Except for the small detail that it wasn't 100km solo... what race were you watching? He had a teammate sit up from the lead group and pace him across, then sat in that group for several kilometers, then went off the front with another rider for almost 30km, who still offered respite, even if it was limited. Add to that a completely disorganized chase effort behind, it's not really that hard to comprehend how it played out the way it did.

[@tonyg3091]

@@justridingalongthewatchtower It was exactly 50 km solo ride, yes.

[@seemitnaik3429]

Ridiculously good has become synonymous with Pogi, although for me Ben o' Connor was a masterclass in itself

[@Brinkken7]

Pogi is great and all, but we should all stop and appreciate that we're living through the Benaissance! 4th in Giro, 2nd in Vuelta and 2nd in Worlds this year!

[@tonyg3091]

@@seemitnaik3429 Very smart riding from Ben. Very

[@davidlilja9180]

@@Brinkken7 And now returning to Jayco Alula! :-)

[@simonknowles4267]

Ben will be Australia’s next grand tour winner.

[@davidlilja9180]

@@simonknowles4267 No "commentator's curse", please. Ben MAY be Australia's next grand tour winner. Putting 22 secs into the MVDP group was a fabulous way to finish off 270+kms for a silver medal. I'm with you in hoping Ben & Jerry's team can do it, but Jai ain't done with just yet. Always consider how you think about ALL your 'eggs'.

[@tonyg3091]

Pog is not from this planet, thats first. Second-he gambled on the idea that the peloton will be too disorganized to mount a proper chase. Third-he knew Jan Tratnik was in the breakaway and will drop to wait and pull for him. And even then-this was the deepest I saw him dig this year, he was dead last 20 km.

[@gregorslana7723]

Everytime he attacked everything went to chaos. First the peloton and then the 2nd attack in the lead group. If they would stay calm and play it right, they might have caught him. But the human nature gets the best of everyone, trying to chase the leading one.

[@tonyg3091]

@@gregorslana7723 Honestly he looked pretty much on the ropes 20 km to go when at the last climb the gap dropped from 1:05 to less than 40 seconds. Local Eurosport commentators here were all like "Oooh Pogacar is in crisis, now we expect an attack from Van der Poel, this title is not decided yet .... and then Pog dug DEEP and went totally nuts the last 12 km, it was an EPIC ride

[@joshurkmans5232]

Doped in his whole body,new Armstrong.Wait a few years and whe will see

[@tonyg3091]

@@joshurkmans5232 Wanna bet?

[@ryanphelan6861]

@@tonyg3091 dont waste time. most talented cyclist ever by distance a prodigy and virtuoso. races all season on multiple continents not reclusive or aggressive over defensive. truly reminds me of messi or jordan who i saw in 80s. elite athlete drugs improve performance but create imbalance and sharper peaks over shorter windows of season. like i confidently enjoyed lemond i enjoy pogacar. keep enjoying youre watching something special maturing into prime next 4years at least as long as he enjoys it. like coppi in that way hes in love with bike

[@dt5337]

That was a great part acknowledging Muriel Ferrer. Perfectly pitched. Thanks for what I think translated many viewers' feelings, especially about her parents. Just a kid, what a waste.

[@bikoaldo]

Dan. Sad as this is to say, when you announce a rider dying in a race it always brings me to tears. I think you do this sport a huge favor by being so emotional and heartfelt for such tragedy. Thank you for your vulnerability online with such emotional depth

[@jamesoneill2662]

Nice to speak up about rider safety - there's never a bad time. I'll be thinking of Muriel on my next few rides

[@andrewfreeman9440]

Super sad about Muriel Furrer. I, like others, have other velo mates who have died or experienced severe injuries doing what we can't give up despite the considerable risks. But it is always a hard blow. I also live in Zurich and have ridden the stretch where she crashed hundreds of times. It is fast. Not super technical but not straightforward either. Muriel lived close by and although she was pretty young, doubtless had ridden this road a lot. OK, pure speculation here: She thought her local knowledge would give her an edge on this pivotal descent into the finish. The weather was horrible and the road was soaked. She miscalculated the sharp turn in the steep, middle section of the descent and .... That's the bit that's hard to contemplate. Can't really fault the organisers. Reminder, once again, about the primary objective: Stay safe. Cheers.

[@thecellulontriptometer4166]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition..... I mean a Pogacar attack from 100KM!

[@JustBrowsing777]

I should've known better, but now I know to never doubt Pogacar. I just didn't think he could win it like that..... So happy too for Ben pulling off a smart and perfectly timed silver move.

[@charliedillon1400]

Very proud of Chloe Dygert's silver medal. Saw her in the post race interview talking about how much pain she has on and off the bike from her brutal leg injury. She is tough as nails.

[@doncompton9453]

It was a great argument to get rid of the radios. The majority of today's peloton just follows instructions from a radio. Some of them admitted that they didn't even realize that Pogacar had left the ship. It was a great read by Tadej especially with his teammate in the breakaway.

[@zikaperic2133]

Pogacar had balls and that paid off despite everyone know he will attack. If there was any organization behind instead of sporadic attacks they could catch him.

[@1xRacer]

it's extremely difficult not to be suspicious with cycling performances on this level. But at the same time not want to take away from what tadej has achieved. It's just unreal!

[@benedictearlson9044]

Yep, read your last sentence again. Good evening.

[@AntonReiser-ns4xi]

What a POGI-Show ... already a living legend ... 2024 ... "The POGI-Year" ... Pink Panther ... Yellow Lion ... and now ... Rainbow-Warrior ... 🙂

[@ss1bomber]

I think we'll look back at this Men's worlds and remember them better than they actually were. Both Remo and Pog were out and out favourites and it looked like Pog would win from about 80k out. I'm still shocked at the lack of team committment to the chase when Pog went. The dutch, USA and Belgium all had multiple riders, none of which wanted to work on the front. As soon as Remo attacked it was mostly leaders which caused the stop/start pace and gave Pog the win.

[@edymarkonthego4096]

Demi Vollering selfishness paid the price.

[@davidlilja9180]

Even Roglic worked for Tadej, and he genuinely smiled at the win, too. Maybe one year the Dutch girls will put their country ahead of themselves and work as a real team.

[@georgehugh3455]

Regarding the Women's WC Dutch Clusterf~~k, having _"a lot of chefs in the kitchen"_ *is NOT a valid excuse for piss-poor "Team" tactics, it's just the selfish reason it happened.*

[@phillipstivi3947]

Such a wonderful and a such a tragic news in one racing show....

[@dilligaf2818]

Thanks Dan

[@gregknipe8772]

thank you.

[@leomaduro8661]

As much as I appreciate Tadej for his achievements, it only emphasizes the importance of the same feat back then in Merckx's days, when they were doing close to 200 race days in a year... We should always keep that in mind.

[@urbanciber6839]

This comment makes no sense

[@wingtip76]

I really really really hope that Pogi is an honest person and that his performances are genuine and not enhanced by substances

[@whatwelearned]

Oh come on

[@MarangMatlala]

Please go work at WADA, we require your expertise to keep the sport clean.

[@michaelmottlau5941]

@@whatwelearnedOh come on to yourself.

[@michaelmottlau5941]

@@MarangMatlala Being skeptical to this performance is okay and fair.

[@MarangMatlala]

@@michaelmottlau5941 I said he should work for WADA in all seriousness. Nothing about skepticism or cynicism and its pros and cons.

[@tomosapor]

👑👑👑 the king from slovenija mr Pogi and his frends

[@milanvanwelden9952]

Tim Wellens (team belgium) said that nobody could have followed pogi's attack, even if they were in the right position and if they did they would have blowed not much later

[@JoergWeida]

Antonia Niedermaier was the MVP of the mixed relay. She took 20 seconds on the Australians and the Italians while riding almost the complete distance on her own (Liane Lippert was just able to follow her). And the Australians had the world champion on their team and both, Brown and Chapman, took turns!

[@danielalanine7379]

27/28/29 are usually peak cycling years so…more to come for sure

[@barbarap9452]

also I think that if a rider decides to attack 100 km to finish - he has to be sure that he wont get caught - no one would risk a WC race like that, without knowing that he wont get caught. SO Pogačar must have known, others wont catch him. So my queation is, what is that that makes Pogačar so sure? I dont believe his words that he didnt plan it, he knew ekxactly, maybe others didnt in a team, but he himself knew when and why it is behind that makes him so sure to attack so early and not get caught.

[@out_spocken]

He doesn't know. It's a gamble. Just like he's done on stages in GTs. He knows he's better than most. Really good understanding of his form, everyone else's form, possible tactics that would occur, strategy. Instead of everyone working together his attack basically caused everyone else to attack and the chase group blew apart. The course was a huge factor in this. On a flat course he'd not have stood a chance. You're assuming he rides like everyone else and is defensive. He's show for a long time now he doesn't do that. What you're implying is based purely on your lack of understanding and information to what and how the team and Pog went into this.

[@tonyg3091]

He knew nothing, It was just a gamble and it paid off BIG TIME. Perhaps he just got pissed by the constant attacks by the likes of Castrillo and decided this stop'n'go thingy is not to his liking. Only thing Pog knew is the course was very hard and if he opened a decent gap there could possibly maybe be a hope he would get away with it.

[@tonyg3091]

@@out_spocken Exactly

[@squashduos1258]

Sometimes breaking the classic mold of how and when to attack will provide the best unexpected strategy which makes the opponents think “he will be reigned in….it’s not possible to hold the lead for that long…” surprise is the best attack fwiw

[@gideonmthembu8693]

The writing was on the walls that pogacar was going to win this world championship. Chapeau GOAT

[@mikemartinez4450]

He did what he did.Others might consider it to be a stupid move but to him it obviously not. Understandbly it's really hard for some to wrap around ones head why he attack ed from that far away but if you would look back from some of his previous races long attacks had paid him great dividends winning a good number of them overwhelmingly. This brings to mind the element of surprise has effectively worked for him leaving his opponents' tactical plans useless. The hilly course suited his strength, he didn't want the race to come down to a bunch sprint and play at the strong suit of Remco, MVP and all the others.

[@litespud]

Pog did great - it would only have been “ridiculous” if he didn’t pull it off. Entirely possible that no-one responded to his attack because they all thought it was ridiculous too. They underestimated him. As for casualties in cycling - no one wants to see this, but the sport involves people dressed essentially in colored nylon tights traveling at high speed on inherently unstable machines - yes, we can improve road furniture, use better barriers at corners etc, but short of straight line TTs in dry weather while wearing Michelin Man suits, I don’t see how you’re going to eliminate the risk of injury or, sadly, death.

[@derickcastillo9083]

Merckx, Hinualt, Coppi, could only dream of being as good as Pogi!

[@benedictearlson9044]

Hinault had a better right hook, Eddie had male model looks and Coppi had better hair - Tadej is the one who's dreaming.

[@tonyg3091]

@@benedictearlson9044 😅🤣😂😅 Ace!

[@Gugner]

We WANT GCN with race videos BACK! We WANT!👌🏼😊😃😃😃😃😃😃🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@tungstenkid2271]

I read that the UCI don't allow radios in World Championship road races, which apparently made it difficult for her team to know Muriel had crashed.

[@darekpiegat1]

Tadej Pogačar is not racing against the peloton anymore but against the whole cycling history.

[@shema02]

If VDP followed(positioned well and followed) Pogacar he'd have had a very good chance of defending his tittle, on a course many said was "too hard" for him

[@tonyg3091]

That;s a big IF mate...😁

[@shema02]

@@tonyg3091 Droping someone on these climbs was harder than anyone anticipated. if Vdp was on his wheel I doughbt he'd have been droped

[@jascollinscork]

Delighted for Pog! He's just pure class! Unlike the UCI which are a joke! Their Paranoid about sock height to rider position etc yet when it comes to their own annual race a poor innocent young rider dies.... don't know how they cam live with themselves really! And a simple course fix could have helped that young girl RIP Muriel 😢😢

[@davidlilja9180]

Maybe it's time for Adam Hansen and his cohort to grow some bigger balls and be prepared to strike over the UCI/race organisers short comings.

[@paulsolon6229]

How did death crash happen? Descent? Corner? Brand of Helmet ?

[@Phlakaton88]

I watched Roche do the triple in 87 and it still blows me away that ANYONE could do that. Especially now. Tadej is a beast. I see no reason to let Tadej go... EVER. I know staying with him is pretty impossible for almost everyone but still. Nooo... don't let him ride away!

[@tonyg3091]

Problem with this following Pog thingy is this-everybody knows they cannot match him. Everybody knows their legs will be ripped off if they tried. So quite naturally they start looking at each other and scratch their asses wondering who will lead the chase as this one will be the first to explode. And meanwhile Pog slaps second after second on them until it is over.

[@Phlakaton88]

@@tonyg3091 I agree bigtime. I think it has to be a team endeavor. I can't think of anyone else staying on his wheel either. LOL.

[@tonyg3091]

@@Phlakaton88 No one if it is steep. This year there is no one on the planet who can keep up with Pog on the climbs.

[@feedbackzaloop]

@@tonyg3091 that one is big oversimplification. Nobody, Pog included, "slaps second after second". Like every attack, there is an initial phase when some seconds are granted, then control with gap not changing, then the attacker gets brought behind. Of course the first phase is the hardest and no-one is expected to bring him back immediately. It's just somehow the peloton refuses to finish the job time after time after time.

[@tonyg3091]

@@feedbackzaloop Did you watch the Montreal race?

[@hojetsala5178]

The scary thing is, that we know, the more people die the less we tend to care. One dead rider is a tragedy and an outrage, but when more and more follow it just becomes normal. Mainly I think because maintaining this anger and the feeling of helplessness is very hard on the mind. And what can we even do? If the UCI does not care, and will not adress the blatant mistakes that led to the young woman's death, what recourse do we as fans have? What do the riders have? I wish I knew. This is so sad and sickening, again and again.

[@out_spocken]

The UCI are useless. On so many levels. Wish another body started up and everyone jumps ship...like golf. All the ridiculous rules to protect riders in how they ride...yet things around them are treated so nonchalantly is staggering. If a rider wants to super tuck, let them super tuck. They're pros. If they want to speed down hills faster than they can handle let them. That's on them. Fix speed humps, fix monitoring. Fix drafting and stick bottles, fix shitty sprint stage endings and sped bumps/traffic islands,maybe look at salary caps. Create some new unsupported one day races. There's so much that could be done in cycling. Top of the iceberg stuff.

[@nathandart1997]

Ben O’Connor also took 2nd in the UAE Tour.

[@Andranik05]

🙏🏼 Muriel

[@JSC131]

RIP Muriel Furrer. Totally predictable Pogi had a go, but definitely has bollocks to make cycle racing exciting phenomenal rider and a very likeable person.

[@cipher.u.justice]

Both MVDP and Remco said it was too far out to follow and try and hold and funnily enough Skujins said Belgium should have done LESS and rather be patient for another lap rather than burn up all the domestiques immediately. The truth is there was probably nothing anyone could have done when Pogacar is riding like this. Tactically Belgium played it as best they could have. It doesn't make sense for Remco to follow when his whole team is still there with 100km+ to go and Remco isn't beating him in a sprint anyway, it wasn't his day either way.

[@leangrypoulet7523]

Given how dominant the Pog was throughout the season, especially on the tough one-day races, I do wonder why he prioritised the Giro (which comes around every year) over the Olympics, which as we know only comes around every four years. I’d suggest the TdF/Olympics/WC triple would have been far more impressive than his nonetheless impressive Giro/TdF/WC triple. I think he would have easily had the measure of Evenopol on the Paris course. Chapeau, clearly, but will he have the same dominance, chance or fitness in four year’s time? Opportunity for first-ever, never-again greatness missed? Even though he’s just achieved something wonderfully historic. There may never be someone like him, or someone as dominant over a stellar era of riders, again.

[@msavli1069]

Because the olympics arent as valued as the giro, its not even close in prestige. Additionally, there was also the whole Urška affair which soured him on the olympics.

[@tonyg3091]

You are missing a very important point here-racing programs are made long before the start of the season. Including Giro in Pog’s schedule was making sure he will win a GT this season. Nobody knew what would happen to Jonas and what form would he come to the Tour so they made sure one GT was in the bag as there was no guarantee he’d win the Tour. And winning a GT is FAR more important than Olympics.

[@martinthemaverick6052]

He ditched olympic do to unprofessionalism in Slovenian Olympic commite, it didn't send Urska to Olympic

[@JohnSmith-ck5qk]

Congrats to Ben O'Conner for placing first in the category of human brings

[@stephenbetley9596]

It was stupid, yes, but succeeded because of some superb race management. Bridging to a fairly fresh Tratnik who single handledly decimated the Belgian chase, and them "teammate" Sivakov who no doubt will get a nice Brucie Bonus. It kept the gap at a minute until it was essentially Pogi vs the favourites. The Belgians imo made the mistake of including Wellens who had a major conflict of interest. They missed Wout. Would have been a different story otherwise imo.

[@tonyg3091]

Dude, the chasing group could not catch even the Healy/Skuijns duo for like 50 km, how could they catch THE KING? But you are totally right about Wout, it would have been completely different story had he been there.

[@Dystopia2020]

Outstanding rider. Outstanding doper. Unbeatable.

[@Maggie_n_Mitch23]

Quite possibly the most stupid ridiculous brilliant attack ever . 🥰

[@MetalMike87]

No radios = Best races

[@GeekonaBike]

I was hoping for Toms in rainbows as an 'In you face' to Latvia for rescheduling their nats just to get Toms out of that jersey. I can't imagine who they thought could better represent Latvia???

[@oranjetoeters1]

Tratnik was the key. Gave pog crucial breather

[@pablothecloudman]

I mean it's true that it doesn't take a ton of strategic thinking to attack from so far out, but it's still an impressive feat to be able to do that, and clearly if he won the triple crown this year then the strategy of just brute forcing it clearly works for him. I will say as someone who isn't a massive fan it can get a little boring to watch. I think it's funny to see some accuse others of using domestiques as "bad strategy" lol.

[@lucio9939]

he is doped, sorry pogacar fanboys, haha!

[@robbchastain3036]

It doesn't seem possible that a young woman could start a world-class bike race and crash and nobody said anything and nothing was done until it was too late. Sure, take away race radios as we know them, the racing would be better, but let race radios become safety radios with constant communication with course officials. And why the sport eschews any form of body armor continues to shock me. With bottles on the belly and down the back being used for aero gains, surely something cool could be created as a chest and back protector. And maybe the entire racing culture needs to change. Perhaps someone saw this young woman crash a few days ago, but with racing speeds expected to be maintained and the assumption that someone would help her, nothing was done or said. Maybe a rider who stops to help could be then driven back up to the pack in light of her doing the right thing for a fellow athlete.

[@chiefsittingstill6061]

Imo there's an awful lot that needs to change. Cycling can be an overly conservative sport; the peloton would still be riding around in wool jerseys and cotton caps if that mentality persisted. Wrt the protection issues specifically, you only need look at Wout van Aert's season to find reasons why that should change. It's crazy to me that the good health of these top riders is so valuable, yet there's relatively little done to reduce the possibility of the having these season-ending or even career-ending crashes...

[@bdonthebrat5021]

@@chiefsittingstill6061 the way Pog was going around the corners Sunday was crazy you just can't stop some of these guys from riding on the edge of disaster. Even as dominant as Pogacar is he only won by 30 seconds that is how good the top riders are there is barely any separation

[@halloweenjack2562]

Gotta say, I'm with Adam on this - a Triple Crown suggests to me winning three comparative races - of course I'm referring to Giro / Tour / Vuelta, not two comparative plus one distinctly different but highly credible other. Swapping the Vuelta for another, allbeit the Worlds feels like treating it as sub standard or below the par of the other two grand tours, and I'd be quite slighted or even offended if I happened to be Spanish. As often publicised the Vuelta had a higher proportion of climbing than the other two, or possibly all three of each of their recent editions. Ok, it's history and tradition, but sometimes these need to be brought up to date - as Emily Pankhust would surely agree (....well perhaps a bunch of bicycle races isn't quite of the same importance....)!

[@malehumanperson7901]

The Vuelta is indeed less prestigious than the Giro or Tour just as the Giro is also less prestigious than the Tour itself. That's not some slight to Spain or a compliment to France. It's iust the reality and cycling is not an outlier in this either. The Australian Open is somewhat less well regarded than Wimbledon and the US Masters and British Open are usually seen as more prestigious than the other golf majors.

[@tonyg3091]

OK, an honest question-do you see ANYONE who could win this? Anyone? Except for Pog obviously. This was never done in the history of the sport and there is a bloody damn good reason for it.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

I wonder why the „tactics“ of trying to catch Pog is still to burn domestique after domestique. None of those can match him, so the gap will go out. The right tactics is „all hands on deck“ immediately. The domestiques shall try to hold him and the leader need to rotate through as well and maybe get back a few seconds with every pull.

[@tonyg3091]

Because this is how it works. This is how you chase a breakaway. Pog rides steady power while domestiques, who are all very capable professionals, ride at the top of their power and drag the leaders behind them. This theoretically means the peloton as a whole is faster than the breakaway as they rotate at the front. On flat terrain they would have easily caught up with him. But sadly for them that was not a flat course.

[@ArnyRimmer]

I think that Pogačar must have to attack. Otherwise many other riders would have attackt and the race would be over. Belgiem and Holland riders would not helped SLovenians. There were only Rolgič and he was worthless. But there was Tratnik in the front and so to join him made a sense. It was a crazy move but the only chance how to win this championship. Now it will be every race thw whole wolrd against Pogačar. He would have only his team. UAE is fine but Slovenians was weak. He wouldn't control the whole race for 100 km so he left.

[@Sills71]

Pogacar's season was BETTER than any single season ANYONE (including Merckx) has EVER had. The Giro, TdF, WC and 2 Monuments is the pinnacle. NO one had ever won the triple with a SINGLE Monument and Pog won 2. There is now no reason to watch bike racing, you will never see anyone do better.

[@JMcLeodKC711]

1:11 Best season in male pro cycling history? How about Jacques Anquetil 1963 (Paris-Nice, Criterium National, Vuelta, Critérium du Dauphiné and Le Tour) or Eddy Merckx 1974 (Giro - Suisse - Tour and worlds). If you look at the 1974 race dates, between 5 May and 26 July, Eddy Merckx won the Giro, Tour de Suisse and Le Tour.

[@tonyg3091]

Did Eddy won a monument in 1974 tho? No? There you go then 😁

[@JMcLeodKC711]

@@tonyg3091In 1972 Eddy won LBL, Giro, Tour and Lombardia

[@tonyg3091]

@@JMcLeodKC711 We are talking about the year he won the Triple Crown man

[@jmag616]

Dan, you delivered such awful news with lots of respect and decency. Thank you. I do wonder whether something like the airbags motogp riders use, could be adapted for cycling. Here’s hoping sporting bodies will leave politics and focus on safety.

[@steveschmidt2690]

Dan. I was not aware of the accusations in these comments about Muriel. Please elaborate next week.

[@georgehugh3455]

Maybe the UCI could air the Women's MSM DURING the Men's MSM simultaneously, along with three or four episodes of _Game of Thrones,_ to relieve the sheer boredom before they finally get to the last half hour of racing?

[@darktimus]

Some luck on the last part where the chasers just slow down and look at each other after they caught Ben Healy. Ben Healy might have chance to close down Pogacar if the group didn’t caught him.

[@telmolicious]

Imagine if he’d ridden the Vuelta as well 😮 Now maybe it woulda taken too much out of him but he could have won it without going full out. Imagine 3 tours, the WC, Strade, Liege and possibly more. That would never be beaten in our lifetime.. unless he did it himself 😏

[@peteracain]

Didn't catch the race yesterday because GCN race coverage folded.

[@CryWolfFilms]

why do people keep saying world champs is the triple crown? literally makes no sense. it would be all three world tours. why are you not including the tour of spain?

[@jpethereal]

In many year of the history, vuelta is held at the same time of giro.

[@sonckad]

The Vuelta came about much later and is still considered the least prestigious of the GTs. Not to mention it is a bigger achievement to win a GT and a pretty much one-day classic race within the same year. You need to be a more versatile rider.

[@tonyg3091]

See…Pog spoilt you into believing this is possible. It isnt.

[@CryWolfFilms]

@@tonyg3091 it is. he could have won the vuelta easily this year

[@tonyg3091]

@@CryWolfFilmsFor the ten thousandth time: NO. He himself and his coach both said that if they went for the Vuelta, that would have destroyed his body for this season and probably-the next. Believe it or not Pog is human. Vuelta is not known as The Tour of Pain for nothing you know

[@app6336]

Saying that Muriel Furrer had crashed badly is an euphemism. She crashed and no one noticed it. Neither UCI officials nor team members, coaches, colleagues, road marshals, literally no one! She laid down for hours, unnoticed, heli landed hour after finish of the race!!! And the place of her crash was ridden again on the last loop before finish!!! And NO ONE reacted properly! It is a scandalous thing! It is not a local racy, it's the Worlds, for god's sake! Where were the UCI officials. Were they busy measuring contestants' socks length? I am outraged! It is unbelievable! It should have never happened! Lost for words....

[@jkmacie]

Pog kicking himself he didn't tackle the Vuelta....

[@MattGrovesFTW]

I think it’s harder for Pog to just sit in the pack and ride. It’s like his legs have to go hard or they will shut off.

[@BroccLeeAV]

Hella yeah

[@kingsman116]

We have a hard enough time avoiding death on open roads. Racers on closed roads should be thinking about winning and losing, not life and death. The sport as a whole needs to do better

[@PeacefulRallyCar-pw3cs]

My 2🪙.. the short chainstays and short wheelbase (Jr female) were minor factors.

[@ashleybrownau]

Hey Dan (and GCN team)... Discovery+ and Max still not available in Australia-any updates on when we'll get global cycling race coverage again? (reminder; we had it until WB Discovery shut GCN+ down)

[@steveschmidt2690]

If I was muriels dad, i wouid want to die. He probably was her biggest fan and helped her on her journey. I dont know if thats true, but what a heartbteak to lose a daughter due to a cycling accident

[@fanridersclub1306]

Only Floyd Landis was able to achieve such a performance! Master piece, perfect!

[@KK-lg8uz]

Hi just a question about the "Triple crown" comment. Is La Vuelta not considered as prestigious as the other two grand tours? Why's it not included?

[@Lion-wd1px]

my chin dropped at 100k to go, I was between 'Mvdp follow come on' and this is stupid the belgians and netherlands have the whole team left

[@robikomel7467]

Tadej is a kind of magic !!!!He make me proud to bd Slovenian.And Rogljic too.

[@DumbShitBySteve]

The Sling Shot from Slovania

[@theillmOnk]

attack was an all brains gamble

[@georgehugh3455]

Vollering and Kopecky: This year's recipients of the *_"Roglic & Vingegaard Screw Your Teammates Award"_*

[@mulinanr]

Only that Vingegaard and Roglic didn’t screw their teammate.

[@georgehugh3455]

@@mulinanr After two 2023 Vuelta stages of screwing over Sepp Kuss, Team Visma read the popular writing on the Twitter wall and put a stop to it.

[@richiejames928]

Tadejs best form of defence is his attack…. He knows if he breaks off early it forces every other weaker rider to panic and blow early…. That entire group of MVDP and remco and everyone else didn’t know what to do after pogi done a pogi….they where left looking at each other doing silly little pulls each…. Funny to watch.

[@silasrobertshaw8122]

All these idiots are so worried about each other they won't work to keep the strongest rider from winning. These guys are so tactically unaware, and then my man Ben O'Connor slipped away for 2nd as well.

[@richiejames928]

Exactly,,,, masterful from Pog…. They lost themselves with pure confusion.

[@LegSpinna]

You often here the word 'unbelievable' used when describing Tadej Pogacar. Still no questions are being asked about this 'unbelievable' rider.

[@nicolasdelaforge7420]

Not yet.... he needs 2 more Tour de France (5), 1 Vuelta, 1 Liege- Bastogne - Liege (3), 2 Il Lombardia (5), 1 milan- San Remo and... 1 Paris- Roubaix (?) - then, he'll be #1 of history, ahead of Merckx and Hinault. Hinault is the only small (5'9 150) rider to ever win Paris- Roubaix. Pogacar is 5'9 145. He won Flanders, so Paris- Roubaix might be possible.

[@tonyg3091]

OK let's think about that. 2 more Tours is a given, there is no doubt about that. 1 Vuelta-ditto. 1 more LBL-granted. He will win his 4th Lombardia this year so 5 is in the bag too. And here comes the tough part...Milan-San Remo-possible but when...who knows. Roubaix-same thing, he will have to organise his entire season around Roubaix and in the presence of beasts like Mathieu it is not gonna be easy. Possible but again-when, who knows.

[@donquique1]

Belgium missed wva badly. He could had gone with pogi in the inital attack and race synamics would be different. We will never know.

[@stuartwalker6786]

The Dutch women, particularly Vollering rode like a bunch of Lemons!